About 10 people, including US servicemen, held the blanket and convinced the woman into dropping her children from a fourth-floor window and then jumping herself before rescue workers arrived at the scene last week in the city of Pyeongtaek, said Moon Sang-hyeon from the Songtan Fire Department.

The children - aged 1, 3, and 4 - escaped uninjured and their mother, a 30-year-old Nigerian national, suffered only minor injuries, Moon said.

Another woman was rescued by fire workers from a third-floor bathroom and there were no more injuries from the fire.

The four-story building stood on a narrow alleyway near a busy outdoor market and a US military base, which made it difficult for fire trucks to reach the scene quickly, Moon said, AP reported.

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